The

Site du Jour of the Day

Archive for

June 2001

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

<

>

Search the Site du Jour of the Day Archives
 
     powered by FreeFind


Back to Main Archive Page

 

2002  January  |  February  |  March  |  April

2001  January  |  February  |  March |  April  |  May  |  June  |  July
August  |  September  |  October  |  November  |  December 

2000  January  |  February  |  March  |  April  |  May  |  June  |  July
August  |  September  |  October  |  November  |  December 

1999  January   |  February  |  March  |  April  |  May  |  June  |  July
August  |  September  |  October  |  November  |  December

1998  January  |  February  |  March  |  April  |  May  |  June  |  July 
August  |  September  |  October  |  November  |  December

1997  February  |  March  |  April/May  |  June  |  July  |  August
September |  October  |  November  |  December 

Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!


_

For a wide selection of Music, Movies, and More


(010601) The High Altitude Medicine Guide
http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/

Thomas E. Dietz
Hood River, Oregon, USA

Probably not a resource many of us will need, but crucial for those who will find themselves above 8,000 feet/2,500 meters or more. The High Altitude Medicine Guide details the experiences and illness caused by a lack of oxygen to the body. Designed for medical professionals and regular people, information provided is current and well written. Maintained by Thomas E. Dietz who practices Emergency & Wilderness Medicine, The High Altitude Medicine Guide started as an off-shoot of a site designed in 1995 for the unrelated Himalayan Rescue Association (http://www.nepalonline.net/hra/). Even if mountain climbing isn't part of vacation plans, the Travellers' Health section of The High Altitude Medicine Guide has quite a few tips for folks travelling to parts unknown. There is also a nice collection of pointers to related sites for those who enjoy the great outdoors. Not intended to replace the advice of your physician, The High Altitude Medicine Guide does provided a great deal of useful information on a number of different subjects. If you've ever wondered how and why altitude illness occurs, have a look. (Back to top of page)


(010602) The Commodore VIC-20
http://www.zimmers.net/cbmpics/cvic.html

The Commodore 64
http://www.zimmers.net/cbmpics/c64s.html

Bo Zimmerman
Austin, Texas, USA

_________________________________

Cybernet - Zero-Footprint-PC
https://www.cybernetman.com/

Cybernet Manufacturing Inc.
Newport Beach, California, USA

It would seem that everything old is new again. A print advertisement for Zero-Footprint-PC™ from Cybernet Manufacturing Inc. brought back a flood of memories when I saw it. Something looks mighty familiar about this new product. Comparing the technical specifications of the Windows, etc. Zero-Footprint-PC with those of the older Commodore machines on display at Bo Zimmerman's Commodore Gallery (http://www.zimmers.net/cbmpics/index.html) served to remind me just how far the industry has come in a mere 20 years. Dang.

For an additional blast from the past, see one of the first 10 sites featured as Site du Jour of the Day — Peter Bott's Bullwnkl's Arcade Classic C-64 Fan Page (http://home.ptd.net/~faethor/c64class/c64class.htm) (SdJotD 970228). (Back to top of page)


(010603) Despair, Inc.
http://www.despair.com/

Despair, Inc.
Gemini Multimedia
Dallas, Texas, USA

Beyond about say, the second grade, motivational posters usually only work on the really dim. Middle management types will often blow a huge chunk of the quarterly budget dressing up the office or plant with pictures of happy animals doing silly things or like that. Again, for the really dim these motivational items are often all that is needed to do the trick. One of the best motivational items I have ever seen was a simple sign that read, "We Are Having A Sales Contest — The Winner Gets To Keep Their Job". The folks at Despair, Inc. have perfected that sentiment and turned it into an art form. Beautiful photography and poignant captions combined with a somewhat pessimistic yet arguably realistic view make up the product line here. Posters and other items available through the Despair, Inc. site will scare the weak but the only way to determine if they are right for you is to take a look. Start out with a mild poster and after a week if you still have a job, ramp up to the item you talked your self out of. Odds are you'll be getting more done at work if for no other reason than people will stop talking to you needlessly. The boss included, but only after you've explained what the word parody means. (Back to top of page)


(010604) WeirdClipart.com
http://www.weirdclipart.com/

David Perigo
Bitchen Industries
Lomita, California, USA

Nothing adds to the excitement of preparing a big report or proposal than including clipart on every page of the document. Borders are nice, add 'em at will and be sure to use no fewer than three different font families along the way. Entire paragraphs in all bold uppercase letters will bring a point home and in addition to making your report look professional, the special type will make your document than much easier to read. If the intended audience is more on the conservative side, a single typeface will do, don't add punctuation or capitalization, and forget the art and borders — well, except maybe something from WeirdClipart.com for the cover.

Hardly your garden variety clipart, the copyright free images at WeirdClipart.com are a little bit different. Off is probably a better way to put it. With the exception of special collections from Dover Publications (http://www.doverpublications.com) (SdJotD 010417), most traditional sources of clipart are warm and fuzzy compared to the stuff at WeirdClipart.com. The material here is not for everyday use — just those extra special documents that could mean a raise, promotion, or a multi-million dollar deal. File resolution could stand to be higher in certain cases and some of the material is recycled, but for free who's complaining. Submissions are welcomed and help to build the collection here. Use your best judgement when selecting art from WeirdClipart.com — a lot could be riding on your decision. (Back to top of page)


(010605) Die screaming with sharp things in your head!!!
http://www.bifrost.com.au/hosting/gnomes/

TheGnomeMakers
Bifrost Technology
Maddington, Western Australia, Australia

Some twenty years ago the first case of gnomenapping gained the attention of the world. Someone walked up to a house, probably with a burlap sack in hand, and changed forever the lives of the gnome owners living there. Over the course of the following summer, strange photographs arrived in the mail. The missing garden gnome at the Grand Canyon, at Yellowstone National Park, being dangled over the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. Like that. Copycat gnomenappings soon followed. The local police were stumped, the FBI was not sure if a missing garden gnome was something they should even be involved with and the gnome owners were of course worried sick. Their painted, poured concrete garden gnome was tough but this was too much. By the next summer, the gnome was still not home and the photographs continued. And there was never a ransom note.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what those poor people feared — Die screaming with sharp things in your head!!! TheGnomeMakers have created a site that is not suitable for viewing by young children or sensitive adults. The perennial favorite garden gnome, posed as victim of a dastardly deed. Surely they must feel no pain, but what you are about to see will send you galloping home to protect your own precious little gnomes. Disturbing! Shocking! Rotten! Words can barely describe the horrors you will witness… Step right this way! (Back to top of page)


(010606) Insurance Journal
Property and Casualty Magazine
http://www.insurancejournal.com/

Wells Publishing, Inc.
San Diego, California, USA

It would seem that gnome owners are not the only ones concerned lately about gnomes gone missing. An article in the International news section of the trade publication Insurance Journal references a piece that ran in Britain's Independent back in April of this year. Headlined "Guarding Garden Gnomes - U.K. Notes Rise in Outdoor Theft" (http://www.insurancejrnl.com/html/ijweb/breakingnews/international/in0401/in0418014.htm) the report states that "…there are over 20 million gardeners in the U.K. and they spent £3.35 ($4.86 billion) last year on fertilizers, plants, decorative items and other products for their gardens. This has led to a rapid rise in thefts…," adding that "Garden furniture, tools and decorations, including gnomes and even plants, offer easy targets for thieves, and are quite easy to resell…".

Yep, the Insurance Industry is concerned about the safety of your garden gnome. Insurance Journal, while intended for the commercial end of the business, has all sorts of information that consumers and business owners will find useful. If nothing else, the news about losses and mergers could change the way visitors shop for insurance. For an inside look at the largest form of legalized gambling on the planet, a visit to Insurance Journal will be time well spent.

Want to hedge your bets on keeping gnomes and other garden items safe? The article states that "In addition to recommendations to secure tools in locked buildings, and to tie down furniture and planters if possible, homeowners might think about planting spiky plants, such as cactus or thorn bushes around their outdoor perimeter." It'll probably work well for keeping the gnomes in too. (Back to top of page)


(010607) Geocaching - The Official GPS Cache Hunt Site
http://www.geocaching.com

Jeremy Irish
Grounded, Inc.
Bellevue, Washington, USA

With the popularity of hand-held units to receive and process signals broadcast by Global Positioning Systems, and the prices dropping as with any new consumer technology it's nice to see the sport of the GPS Stash Hunt or Geocaching take off. The basics are quite charming — pack a waterproof container with goodies and a log book and leave it in a place that is somewhere between easy and difficult to find or get to. Record the Latitude and Longitude of your geocache and announce it at Geocaching - The Official GPS Cache Hunt Site. A high-tech treasure hunt for the modern age ideal for hikers and every member of the family, Geocaching helps teach navigation, sharing, and science in general to even the youngest of children. Geocaching - The Official GPS Cache Hunt Site contains the history of the sport, guides for finding and placing your first geocache, and a handy tool for finding an adventure in your own city, state or country. Available as English language and German language pages, Geocaching - The Official GPS Cache Hunt Site grows every day. Thanks to my buddy Soopafresh for the site suggestion before it was even a site and for creating a monster by giving me a GPS unit two Christmases ago. (Back to top of page)


Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!


(010608) The Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Resource Library
http://www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/

Karen Nakamura
New Haven, Connecticut, USA

An offshoot of the site for GPSy and GPSy Pro (http://www.gpsy.com) Macintosh Global Positioning Systems communications and Geographic Information Services mapping programs, The Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Resource Library is a fantastic collection of pointers to other sites. Subjects include Distance/Bearing/Great Circle Calculators, Government GPS Sites, GPS FAQs, GPS Tutorials and Overviews, Internet Mapping Programs, Satellite Tracking, and more. The round-up of GPS unit resellers and manufacturers could be of use for visitors looking for new hardware. A nice introduction to the technologies behind Global Positioning Systems and a great resource for GPS enthusiasts. (Back to top of page)


(010609) Home of the Underdogs
http://www.theunderdogs.org/index.php

Home of the Underdogs
New York, New York, USA

There's nothing like having an installation disk for a favorite game go bad or turn up missing. Of course there's the backup set — somewhere. If not, there are a couple of things to try. Attempt to fix the disk, contact the publisher about the possibility of buying replacement media, or go to the store and buy the title again. If the game is out of print, finding a used copy is possible but might take some time. Occasionally, classic games turn up in multi-title bundles at low prices, a situation where waiting may pay off. For those occasions when you would like to find out what's in store for you with the additional titles, a visit to Home of the Underdogs is the way to go. Like the Land of Forgotten Toys, Home of the Underdogs is chock full of gems that received insufficient promotional support at the time of release, were ahead of their time and demanded system resources unavailable from the average machine, or caught the critics on a bad day and died a quick retail death. Most of the game reviews at Home of the Underdogs have detailed information about the title as well as pointers to sites where one could download a copy of that bad disk. Keeping these games alive is the main objective here and it seems to be working out quite well. (Back to top of page)


(010610) VirtualStapler.com
Revolutionary Online Stapler Simulation
http://www.virtualstapler.com/

Hays Internet Marketing, Inc.
Dallas, Texas, USA

Just the thing for the paperless office, VirtualStapler.com : Revolutionary Online Stapler Simulation is a pleasant gimmick from the folks at Hays Internet Marketing, Inc. (http://www.hays.net/). After stapling a couple zillion times, visit one of the other sites maintained by Hays Internet Marketing, Inc. There are buttons at the bottom of the page. (Back to top of page)


(010611) BabyGrand - Etch a Sketch
http://www.babygrand.com/htmls/etch.html

BabyGrand Productions Inc.
Mountain View, California, USA

Scott Adams' wonderfully funny Dilbert (http://dilbert.com/) comic strip once ran a series of syndicated panels that had the boss character crashing a laptop computer numerous times. To settle the trouble, Dilbert gives the boss character a crash-proof laptop computer — except in reality, it was an Etch a Sketch toy from Ohio Art Company (http://www.world-of-toys.com/). The BabyGrand - Etch a Sketch, suggested by Site du Jour of the Day reader Joanne Traeger, is a logical extension of that thinking. Using the Shockwave plug-in, you too can have an Etch a Sketch right there on the computer. Similar in operation to the real Etch a Sketch, this beautiful little time waster is just one of the four BabyGrand - Games (http://www.babygrand.com/htmls/games.html). Before playing it's good to commit the following to memory — "Hi boss, this? Why it's the 3811 LaptopEmulatorTron project we've been working on". (Back to top of page)


(010612) Travels With My Laptop
An Account of my Gap Year in East Africa '98-'99
http://www.uea.ac.uk/~u9925058/

Derek Jackson
Norwich, England

At times difficult to read (the text is brown on yellow and brown), Derek Jackson's tale of travel to East Africa is full of adventure and discovery. Culture shock was mutual for Derek and the people he met along the way, and this detailed account spans over 11 months in Africa. Travels With My Laptop started as a contribution to the monthly church newsletter back home and has grown to 74 chapters complete with photographs. Obviously a year well spent, this story is one that many tourists only dream about bringing home. (Back to top of page)


(010613) CDRlabs.com
http://www.cdrlabs.com/

CDRlabs.com
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

As with most computer hardware purchases, buying a Compact Disc recorder can be a daunting task. The marketing propaganda will promise you the moon and the stars, print reviews can be full of the same, and a recommendation from a sales clerk is often biased by ignorance, commission potential, or overstock. CDRlabs.com will make the process of deciding which Compact Disc recorder to buy a whole lot easier for visitors regardless of experience or knowledge. Some of the most comprehensive product reviews available, previews and industry news that could help ease the wait if something better is on the way, and a level of experience immediately evident. The editors at CDRlabs.com have been working with Compact Disc technology for years, back to the days when a recorder cost as much as a decent used car. With day jobs that require many of the editors to use the hardware and software they write about for purposes other than testing and reviews, the information is presented is true, fair, and easy to understand. No matter if you are planning to purchase your very first Compact Disc recorder or upgrade an existing drive, visit CDRlabs.com for some of the best free advice available.

For more on Compact Disc technology, be sure to see Andy McFadden's CD-Recordable FAQ (http://www.cdrfaq.org/) (SdJotD 000621) and the CD Page (http://www.cdpage.com/) (SdJotD 010311). (Back to top of page)


(010614) A complete illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware
http://www.karbosguide.com
http://www.mkdata.dk/click/

Michael B. Karbo
Aabenraa, Denmark

For a lot of people computers only consist of four parts — no more, no less. The keyboard, monitor, mouse, and that big box sitting off to the side. For others, the machine is never optimized. There's always something that could be better or added to improve things. Learning what the individual components do can take years of trial and error, and with the rate of change in the computer industry it's a never ending quest. Michael B. Karbo's A complete illustrated Guide to the PC can help. Definitions given and interactions explained, photographs accompany articles covering everything from 3D graphics to the Iomega Zip drive. Safer than taking apart your own machine, running the risk of voiding a warranty or doing something bad, this tutorial may serve as the perfect introduction to how computers work or help fill in the spaces for those who already have a basic understanding. There are fancier sites but they tend to lack real life details. A nice reference site this one is. (Back to top of page)


Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!


(010615) Everything you ever wanted to know about emergency power, lights and generators!
http://theepicenter.com/tow1230.html

Epicenter Supplies, LLC
Eugene, Oregon, USA

Last Sunday night around 9:30, the electricity went a little funky here — three big bangs outside and then it went dark. A transformer had shorted out and was behaving more or less like a flash pot. Sparks flying easily ten feet into the air lighting up the entire block. Then the darkness came. There were a few small clouds reflecting the light pollution from the surrounding area not affected by the outage. Otherwise it was plenty dark inside and out. Several hours later the power was restored but for a while it was pleasant experience, only because it was just a few hours. With the normal routine derailed, there was nothing left to do but relax. Although this outage wasn't weather related, it served as a subtle reminder that the Atlantic Hurricane Season is here again and that the loss of electrical power will be the least of our worries should a storm make landfall in Lee County, Florida.

Everything you ever wanted to know about emergency power, lights and generators! is a useful reference not only for people living in hurricane country, but for anyone connected to the power grid. An Emergency Preparedness "Tip O'da Week" from TheEpicenter.com Survival supplies and practical tips online (http://theepicenter.com/), Everything you ever wanted to know about emergency power, lights and generators! offers tips and solutions for avoiding damage to your stuff during brown-outs, power outages, and the power spikes that usually show up when service is reestablished. The rest of the site has similar information for all seasons and products to make toughing out emergencies and disasters as easy as possible. (Back to top of page)


(010616) Toiletology 101: A Free Course in Toilet Repairs
http://www.toiletology.com/index.shtml

Kay Keating
Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Even though it is one of the easiest and home repairs, not fixing a running toilet costs consumers millions of dollars a year in water and sewer charges. Toiletology 101: A Free Course in Toilet Repairs is a set of pages developed by Kay Keating offering "Almost everything you ever wanted to know about your toilets! And some things you probably never knew you needed to know." Originally part of a clinic started in 1973 titled Mini Maintenance for Ms., Kay Keating developed and taught the course for the Department of Recreation at Montgomery County, Maryland. Popularity of the class spawned a Saturday morning clinic that was eventually open to women and men. An average of 1,300 students attended the clinics every time they were offered at the height of their popularity, and now visitors to Toiletology 101: A Free Course in Toilet Repairs can benefit from the refined program. Readers may recognize the name Kay Keating as the author of FIXITIPS for The Journal Newspapers, and as a contributor to Woman's Day Magazine, The Homeowner Magazine, Kiplinger's Changing Times, Time Life Books, and The Washington Post. Kay Keating also presented Fix-it segments on Westinghouse Broadcast TV, and wrote for the syndicated radio show Around the House. Toiletology 101: A Free Course in Toilet Repairs could lead to a level of knowledge and experience to tackle the installation of one of those fancy doggy drinking fountains so popular in European washrooms. (Back to top of page)


(010617) joesgrille.com
http://www.joesgrille.com

Joe's Production & Grille, Inc.
Boulder, Colorado, USA

Part record store, radio show, independent music promoter, Compact Disc manufacturer, and MP3 download bonanza, the site for Joe's Production & Grille, Inc. is a music lover's delight. Specializing in unsigned up-and-coming artists, independents, and hard to locate big name imports, joesgrille.com has something for every taste. Different than the huge commercial retail music sites, joesgrille.com is full of affordable new music, a lot of the artists are relatively unknown and that's a plus. Like the site itself, these artists often display the brand of talent that the major labels seem to be afraid of. Have a look and listen and while visiting be sure to order the free joe's Blue Plate Special Sampler CD or sign up for a whole year's worth. I received a copy of the joe's grille Best of Independent Music Vol. 1 last week in the mail and haven't taken it out of the player since it arrived. The two Breck Alan cuts stand-out and are alone worth the trouble of asking for the CD. Other tracks by the likes of Frank Black and The Catholics, Dang Head, Maceo Parker, and At The Drive-In add to the excitement. This kids, is what the future of the music business could very well look like. (Back to top of page)


(010618) Nose
http://www.nobodyhere.com/justme/nose.html

Driftig
Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Over the years, suggestions from Site du Jour of the Day readers have pointed to a number of seriously unusual sites. On the last day of May, Phil Konstantin sent the URL for Nose along with the following message, "I must admit that I have seen some weird sites in my day, but this one ranks near the top… Use the tweasers…".

Nose is part of Nobody Here (http://www.nobodyhere.com/), an exhibition of Flash animations and otherwise fancy pages that will entertain and amaze, at least until lunch time.

After visiting Nobody Here, be sure to see Phil Konstantin's On This Date in North American Indian History (http://americanindian.net). (Back to top of page)


(010619) The Nose Pages
http://www.well.com/user/cynsa/nosepage.html

Cynsa Bonorris
San Francisco, California, USA

A family history of inserting dry beans in the nose lead to the creation of The Nose Pages. An opportunity to have a picture of your nose posted on someone's site is the highlight here. For those just interested in looking, there's the gallery of over 35 human and animal noses, complete with e-mail addresses. Also at this site is Paul Spinrad's Internet classic, The Butt Page. Clinical studies of extremely poor judgement. You'll have to find it yourself… (Back to top of page)


(010620) ZDNet: Help & How-To: The Abacus
http://www.zdnet.com/zdhelp/stories/main/0,5594,2409156-1,00.html

CNET Networks, Inc.
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Part of ZDNet's Y2K coverage, The Abacus by Robert Vamosi covers operation basics of this time-tested device. There's even simple instructions for making your own abacus — a project that you can really count on for fun. (Back to top of page)


(010621) Humor in the News By Creepy Steve
http://humorinthenews.weblogs.com/

Creepy Steve
Rochester, New York, USA

Creepy Steve is a writer for a morning radio show in Rochester, New York. Like others sharing support positions in radio, Creepy Steve has the job of writing that witty banter the announcers seem to magically come up with as if they are pulling it from thin air. I cannot claim to have ever heard The Zone Morning Show (http://www.karlsonandmckenzie.com/) out of Rochester, Kevin Karlson and Pete McKenzie could very well be funny folks on their own without Creepy Steve but that really doesn't matter here. Humor in the News By Creepy Steve provides a consistently funny look at current news stories in the form of one-liners — no pointers or background information, just that witty banter the announcers seem to magically come up with as if they are pulling it from thin air. Visitors are forced to read it at their own pace, no crappy songs, or pesky commercial announcements, in fact none of the things that otherwise make morning drive radio shows entertaining, just Humor in the News By Creepy Steve. Updated every couple of days, it beats buying the paper in the morning and you might even be able to figure out where your local announcers get their material. (Back to top of page)


Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!


(010622) Welcome to the Sideshow
http://www.bullseyedesigns.com/sideshow/

Bull's-Eye Web Designs
Fall City, Washington, USA

What The Great Fredini's Sideshow.com (http://www.sideshow.com/) (SdJotD 990228) is to Coney Island's modern sideshows, Bull's-Eye Web Designs' Welcome to the Sideshow is to the exploration of the history of this popular diversion. Not as popular as they once were, sideshows would often travel with the circus and provided a form of employment for people who might otherwise not be able to find work. Sensationalism was the rule with a liberal handful of titillation thrown in by the barkers to draw people into the tents. In the age before radio or television, sideshows satisfied an urge for the public to witness the unusual or exotic, and Welcome to the Sideshow has a fairly comprehensive history of the show complete with images and biographical information. For more on Robert Pershing Wadlow, the pituitary giant mentioned in the Big and Little People section of Welcome to the Sideshow, see the site for the Alton Museum of History and Art - Alton, Illinois (http://www.altonweb.com/museum) (SdJotD 970301). Thanks to TheREALJoeyP for the suggestion, and for including the URL to the following gem of a news story: 'Dog Boy' Found Living in Cave (http://tlc.discovery.com/news/reu/20010618/dogboy.html). (Back to top of page)


(010623) Electrotank :: Minigolf
http://www.electrotank.com/lab/miniGolf.html

Electrotank
Walnut Creek, California, USA

For those times when you fancy a few holes of miniature golf and can't get out, Electrotank's Minigolf is just the solution. Using Flash animation, this site launched ten days ago offers single or multi-player games of both Minigolf, and at another part of the Electrotank site (http://www.electrotank.com/), a clever version of 9 Ball Pool. If these two games are any indication of what's to come, this is going to be a wonderful site in months to come. Have fun. (Back to top of page)


(010624) eugenemirman.com
http://eugenemirman.com/

Eugene Mirman
Somerville, Massachusetts, USA

Another site using the wonders of Flash animation for the enjoyment of the masses. Without giving too much away about this marvelous suggestion from Site du Jour of the Day reader MirPo — cross an obviously uncomfortable young Eugene Mirman with a growing list of Pop and Rock favorites. It's eugenemirman.com! (Back to top of page)


(010625) HMusic : Games : Jump The Shark®
RollingStone.com
http://www.rollingstone.com/games/jumptheshark/

EMusic.com Inc.
New York, New York, USA

In the five months since it was featured as Site du Jour of the Day, Jump The Shark - Chronicling The Moments When TV Shows Go Downhill (http://www.jumptheshark.com/) (SdJotD 010124) has gone big time. Now owned by Jump The Shark, Inc., the phrase Jump The Shark is a Registered Trademark and the folks at RollingStone.com have taken a piece of the action. The version at RollingStone.com is about popular music while the original game still pertains to our favorite television shows, and at what point things started going south for them. Hopefully the deal with RollingStone.com was a sweet one and not an indication that Jump The Shark - Chronicling The Moments When TV Shows Go Downhill has, well… (Back to top of page)


(010626) Memento Mori
an Internet-based earthwork
http://memento.ieor.berkeley.edu

Ken Goldberg, Randall Packer, Wojciech Matusik and Gregory Kuhn
Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, California, USA

Measuring ground movement over the Hayward fault at University of California at Berkeley, the Memento Mori site contains a Java aplet showing live seismographic readings. The visual scale is relatively small, but shows that the surface of the Earth is in an almost constant flux. In the past, the device has measured seismic events from distant locations. With major activity around the world recently, the show here can be quite interesting — appearing almost organic at times. Pointers to related sites and detailed technical information about the interface (http://www.ieor.berkeley.edu/~goldberg/art/mori/technical.html) can be found here as well.

For more about recent seismic activity, see Near-Real-Time Earthquake Bulletin (http://gldss7.cr.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/bulletin.html) (SdJotD 971002) from the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center, World Data Center for Seismology at Denver, Colorado. (Back to top of page)


(010627) Icepick.com - A wired house
http://www.icepick.com/

Alex van Es
Icepick Technologies
Apeldoorn, the Netherlands

Mounting live cameras around the house and sending the signal out to the world through the Internet has lost a lot of the initial charm, with network television building popular shows around the idea and voyeur cams once all the rage the thrill is almost gone. Not so with Icepick.com - A wired house. Alex and Karen have incorporated something that the others either didn't think about, or that they found unnecessary — statistics. Statistics and picture, along with images and technical information about how it is all done. Visitors to Icepick.com - A wired house can see the doorbell (as this is written the doorbell has rung 734 times. The last ring was on June 22, 2001 at 15:57:22), major appliances, a treadmill, the garage, and so on. While everything here is fairly clever, there are a couple of elements at Icepick.com - A wired house that stand out. The Barcode Trashbin reads the Universal Product Code on a discarded item, reports the brand name and product type along with the time and date. CallerID-2-WWW shows the originating number of a call to a special telephone number at Icepick.com - A wired house, the line is not answered so the call is usually not billed and visitors can see their number displayed. Having the microwave oven or refrigerator send you pictures of themselves by return e-mail is really fun and that's just the start. A marketer's dream come true, Icepick.com - A wired house is a nice place to visit but not somewhere most would like to live. It's nice of Alex and Karen to share though. (Back to top of page)


(010628) See Australia
A National Tourism Initiative
http://www.seeaustralia.com.au

Partnership Australia Domestic Limited
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Suggested by frequent world traveler and Adelaide resident Joanne Traeger*, See Australia is a site designed to encourage Australians to travel Australia. Domestic tourism in Australia generates an estimated $43 billion — and supports 1 of every 9 jobs in the country. Partnership Australia Domestic Limited was formed to raise the growth of domestic tourism. Sponsors here are businesses with a solid interest in the initiative, including hotel owners, a credit card company, rental car agencies and an airline. Although the site is designed to encourage domestic travel and tourism, there are all sorts of things available to potential visitors from other countries. As Joanne put it, "It's a pretty comprehensive site for anyone wishing to see Australia!". Well crafted propaganda in several languages, pointers various state and regional tourism sites, and more.

*Listen to Joanne's mid-day radio show at 107.9 Life FM - Spirit Of The City (http://www.life.on.net) (SdJotD 000612). (Back to top of page)


Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!


(010629) OPICO - Agricultural Machinery To Help You Now
http://www.opico.co.uk/

OPICO Ltd.
Bourne, England

The summer growing season is kicking in to high gear in the Northern Hemisphere right about now. Riding lawn mowers are on the wish list of everyone who has to cut the grass. A suburban commando item to be sure, in most cases rural folks let the livestock do the work, let the grass grow as high as it wants to, or have serious equipment for the job. OPICO - Agricultural Machinery To Help You Now is the site for OPICO Ltd. and it lists that type of farm equipment and more serious things. The sort of stuff that makes those dinky riding mowers look like kiddie toys. Like day-dreaming of sports cars, I would imagine that many folks wonder what it would be like to drive a huge tractor around for an hour or so with say, an OPICO Comb Harrow attached. The neighbors might get upset though and cutting the grass wouldn't have to happen again for a while. For visitors who use this sort of equipment on a regular basis, there are maintenance tips and specifications for bigger and better machines. The pages also detail uses for this kind of heavy equipment for the curious or unfamiliar. For those who have no interest whatsoever in agricultural machinery, the growing list of pointers of unrelated sites here is worth a look. (Back to top of page)


(010630) Where Do Tractors Go?
http://www.planetchicken.com/pages/Stuff/tractor.html

Grant Groberg
Niangua, Missouri, USA

Where Do Tractors Go? is the work of long-time Site du Jour of the Day reader Grant Groberg, a nice photo essay exploring the fate of the not so new anymore workhorse on American farms. The piece also introduces readers to one Richard Silva, farm equipment salvage, and Midwestern hospitality. Grant Groberg's PlanetChicken.com is part advertising for a site design, graphic design, and commercial printing enterprise in the Missouri Ozarks. After reading Where Do Tractors Go? take a peek at It's the Chicken Pages - Yes, Pictures of Chickens (http://www.planetchicken.com/pages/chickens.html). Should you contact Grant for any reason, be sure to ask about the accordion.

For additional information on antique tractors see the Mega site of Antique Tractor Links (http://www.tractorlinks.com/) (SdJotD 971214) from Yesterday's Tractors. (Back to top of page)


Listen to Site du Jour of the Day Radio at Live365.com!_


 

Sign up to receive Site du Jour of the Day episodes by e-mail!

If Harpo Marx could type he might just sign up! What are you waiting for?

Fill out this short form which gives you the option to provide information about your interests

- or -

Fill out this even shorter form:

Your e-mail address:
How did you find out about Site du Jour of the Day?

- or -

Send your request as an e-mail message to sdjotd@email.com


Copyright 2001, Edward J. Pelegrino. All rights reserved.
Harpo, Trade and Service Marks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

https://members.tripod.com/~SdJotD/2001/0106.htm

Updated June 30, 2001

   Click Here!